1924] SHAW'S "ST. JOAN" 247

a Shavian, and agrees the imagination and emotion shewn
in this play surprised him, as they did me. He says B,
Shaw wanted to make (or pretended) a speech the first
night before the Epilogue, saying everyone should now
go home except those who would like to see Mr. Thesiger
in bed! He said Shaw was very particular about their
making themselves heard, on which I congratulated him*
Thesiger defended the Epilogue as necessary to show the
irony of the situation and story: " Crucify to-day and
Hosanna to-morrow." He thinks you could not get the
fiill flavour without the dream of the Beatification But
he agrees that it is not a success as staged because it does
not suggest a dream. He thinks there should have been
a gauze veil or something to make it all appear dreamy.
But I think it is too long for one to be able to keep up the
dream sensation, as even Shakespeare's ghosts are too
talkative. V. Cholmondeley and I agreed that Joan some-
how failed in suggesting the ** mystic ", the inspired and
unearthly person, which she must actually have been.

.. . Did you see a most lugubrious picture of me in the
Daily Mirror last Monday?

from Rev. F. G, Ellerton

June $
MY DEAR JOHN,

Yes, I had been meditating about writing to you for a
week or so. But you are quite correct in supposing that
I find I have now to be very careful about my writing.
You will remember that the Renaissance Bishops felt the
same thing about their Latin style when forced of necessity
to read so much infima Latinitas and to say so many
masses and the rest* For it is not everyone to whom it is
given to make M. Jourdain's discovery as I have!1 Ha, ha!

. . . Now, do leave Daddy alone for the moment and

i A collector of specimens oŁ English prose had asked Mr. Elkrton for part
of an article he had written for the Spectator*